Designing Excel Dashboards & Reports Using Advanced Excel

Introduction

Excel Dashboards and Reports provide a detailed analysis of data, making it easier to track performance, find trends, and use valuable insights in making informed decisions. With advanced Excel, they can be designed even more effectively to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

Let’s take a look at what an Excel Dashboard and Report is, and the benefits of using advanced Excel to design them.

What is an Excel Dashboard and Report?

An Excel Dashboard is an information-rich environment used to track performance and identify potential problems or opportunities. They are ideal for providing an overview of your data, and can involve the use of charts, tables, and other visualizations. Reports are more detailed documents that serve to communicate the analysis of a set of data.

Benefits of Using Advanced Excel

• Faster and Easier Data Analysis: Advanced Excel features make it easier to analyze large amounts of data quickly.
• Enhanced Visualizations: Data can be presented more effectively with the use of charts, graphs, and tables.
• Saves Time: Automated features such as macros and pivot tables can help speed up the creation of reports and dashboards.
• More Flexible: Advanced Excel can accommodate more complex data sets and formats.

Understanding Excel Elements

Excel dashboards and reports are powerful tools for representing data. In order to create meaningful representations, one must first understand how Excel stores, organizes and manipulates data. This includes becoming familiar with the three fundamental elements of an Excel worksheet—cells, columns, and rows.

Cells, Columns & Rows

Cells are the individual boxes found in a worksheet. They each contain a single datum. Every cell is named according to its location, denoted by the column number and row number. Columns are the vertical portion of the worksheet, where all cells in that column share the same data type. Rows are the horizontal portion of the worksheet, and they typically contain similar data elements.

Weekday vs. Weekend Calculations

Excel also supports a variety of functions that automatically calculate the date or time. This is useful when creating dashboards and reports that track data over a specific period of time. The most common of these functions are WEEKDAY and WEEKEND, which are used to assign numerical values to days of the week. The WEEKDAY function returns a 1 for Mondays and a 7 for Sundays, while the WEEKEND function returns a 0 for Mondays and a 1 for Sundays. This makes it easier to differentiate between weekday and weekend data.

Manipulating Data

Excel also allows users to manipulate data with the use of various formulas, such as SUM and AVERAGE. Knowing how to use these formulas is essential for accurately creating dashboard and reports. In addition, Excel also supports advanced formulas that allow users to customize their data manipulation, such as IF, AND, and OR statements.

• SUM is used to total numeric values.
• AVERAGE is used to find the arithmetic mean of numeric values.
• IF, AND, and OR statements can be used to evaluate conditions that can modify the manipulation of data.

Data Visualization

When it comes to data analysis, data visualization can be a great way to visually represent data and quickly derive useful insights. With Microsoft Excel, you can create compelling visuals to further improve your understanding and decision-making process.

Pivot Tables

Pivot Tables are a great way to quickly summarize large datasets. With a few clicks and drags, you can create comparative tables, charts, and graphs to filter, sort, and reorganize your data quickly. Pivot tables also give you the ability to filter and sort data from a central location, making it very easy to create dynamic and interactive visuals.

Creating Graphs & Charts

Another great tool for data visualization is creating graphs & charts. Microsoft Excel offers a wide range of charts and graphs to help analyze data in visually appealing ways. Excel also has dynamic features like sparklines and background images to further illustrate data. By utilizing these features, you can quickly convey complicated trends and patterns.

• Bar Charts - Visualize data to compare items
• Pie Charts - Compare parts of a whole
• Line Graphs - Track changes over time
• Scatterplots - Show relationships between two sets of data
• Bubble Charts - Show correlation among three data sets

Elements of Design

Color

Color is an extremely important element of design for creating effective Excel dashboards and reports. The colors used should clearly define data, as well as reinforce the graphical elements. Furthermore, it is important to be consistent in the colors used for each element throughout the Excel dashboard or report. For example, by assigning one color to indicate negative values, while another color indicates positive values, an entire dashboard or report to quickly be comprehensible at a glance.

Fonts & Text

While the colors chosen are an important element of design, the fonts and text used should not be overlooked. As with any type of visual design, it is important to keep in mind the readability and size of any text used, as well as any headers or subheaders used throughout the dashboard or report. Choosing a font that is easily readable and maintaining consistent size throughout will greatly assist in not overwhelming readers.

Graphs & Charts

Most Excel dashboards and reports created use various forms of graphs and charts to communicate data. These graphical elements are one of the most important elements of design, as they should be both informative and engaging. There are a variety of graphs and charts available to choose from and it is important to select the form that best represent the data being communicated. Furthermore, any graphical element should be clear and legible with labels and legends to reinforce any numbers or patterns depicted.

Reporting Hazards

Designing an Excel Dashboard & Report using advanced Excel functions is one of the most important aspects of data analysis and reporting. While the process should be undertaken with care and attention, there are some hazards that come when designing these reports. In this chapter, we will discuss some of the most common reporting hazards and suggest ways to avoid them.

Absent or Manipulated Data

One of the biggest mistakes made when designing a report or dashboard in Excel is to have missing or manipulated data. If a key piece of data is missing or off balance to the rest of the report, it can cause confusion or even create an inaccurate conclusion. To ensure that the data is present and accurate, it is important to be diligent when filling out the information, proofreading the results, and ensuring all data points are showing up where they should.

Adding Unnecessary Components

Another common mistake in report design is to add too many components in the Excel report. This can make it confusing for the reader and make the report look overly complicated. It is best to keep the report clean and organized with necessary components such as graphs, charts, tables, or visuals to aid in the understanding of the data. Too many components will make it difficult for the reader to find what they are looking for and make the report appear cluttered.

• Be mindful of the components when designing a report or dashboard in Excel
• Keep it organized and clean with only necessary components
• Too many components can make the report cluttered and confusing

Best Practices for Designing Dashboards

Creating effective dashboards and reports with Excel can help businesses can maximize their analytical capabilities, discover trends and make more informed decisions. In order to create efficient and effective dashboard designs, there are certain best practices that should be considered. This article will explore key best practices for developing Excel dashboards, such as knowing audience information, keeping it simple, and prioritizing elements.

Know Critical Audience Information

Before creating an Excel dashboard or report, you should consider who will be using it. Knowing the critical audience information, such as their familiarity with Excel or the importance they place on certain information, will allow you to tailor the design to their specific needs. This can help ensure that the created report or dashboard is effective and user-friendly.

Keep it Simple & Easy to Comprehend

An important part of designing effective Excel dashboards and reports is to ensure that the design is simple and easy to comprehend. Avoid adding too many visuals, colors, and fonts, as this can make the report difficult to read and understand. Consider the visual elements that are necessary to convey the data effectively and utilize them accordingly. Also, use concise language and structure it in an organized manner.

Prioritizing Elements

When designing an Excel dashboard, it is important to prioritize the elements that you want to display. This helps create a visually appealing report that captures the key insights and communicates them in an organized manner. It is also important to use visuals that are appropriate to the data being presented, such as a pie chart or a bar graph, in order to make the information easier to understand.

• Know Critical Audience Information
• Keep it Simple & Easy to Comprehend
• Prioritizing Elements

Conclusion

Advanced Excel is a powerful tool for generating meaningful reports and dashboards. When used properly, it can help business teams and analysts quickly and easily visualize their data, providing a clearer view of trends, insights and performance. Advanced Excel makes it easier to create reports with automated and interactive features, allowing users to explore their data more quickly.

Unique Benefits of Advanced Excel

• Automated features that can generate reports quickly and regularly
• Increased visualization capabilities with charts and graphs
• Interactive functions that allow users to quickly explore their data
• Automatically pulls in data from multiple sources
• Ability to track performance metrics and trends with ease

Considerations for Designing Excel Dashboards & Reports

• Be aware of the data sources available and how to best utilize them
• Take into account the specific metrics and insights that need to be monitored
• Choose the best visualization methods to make data more accessible
• Prioritize the need for automation to ensure repeatable processes
• Establish clear and consistent reporting standards to ensure relevancy